 MTV, the jukebox of my childhood, created the soundtrack to our household. It was the stream that kept a creative culture afloat in my life despite my underdeveloped taste in music. Nonetheless, even at that age I could feel that it was an important piece of my media consumerism. A song would pop up every once in a while that my older sister would want turned up. I was learned by example that music discovery was a valuable adolescence right of passage. One autumn day in 1990 a beat resonated in my heart, it moved me. There I was, just 12 years old, watching an opening scene featuring the percussion ensemble of Paul Simon’s Obvious Child, it made me feel so much excitement for creativity and human spirit that it surely shaped my passion for music and art. To just say that the album that it belonged to, Rhythm of The Saints, became the core soundtrack to my life for the next few years, might be an understatement because it was also an inspiration to me as a songwriter, and now I know that if it weren’t for MTV I might not have experienced the discovery of it the same way. The convergence of the music with the video and the playlist programming of MTV played a big role in the discovery. These days, with discovery being primarily an algorithm based shuffle, music discovery is much more technologically developed. I look at the first run in this world as Pandora, where the radio station that you created would offer new songs that fit the playlist, songs that you may have not heard before. The intuitive machine behind music streaming powerhouse Spotify took this to a new level by widening the circle to have the analytical programming include much more independent music and therefore more to discover that you normally wouldn’t find elsewhere. In a league of its own, YouTube created another level of intimate videos, a world of personal music discovery with their algorithms suggesting covers and originals by artists in their bedroom or backyard. YouTube is perhaps the best example of the evolution of the music video convergence in today’s algorithmic music consumerism since the time of MTV. The algorithm of YouTube dictates what you watch 70% of the time. 81% of American YouTube users say they regularly watch videos recommended by the algorithm according to the article “Many Turn to YouTube for Children’s Content, News, How-To Lessons” by the Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (NOVEMBER 7, 2018) The second largest force for me from the pre-streaming era of music discovery was from movies. Soundtracks were developed and led people to fall in love with songs that supported the stories they adored. How does this come into play now for music discovery with movie streaming giants such as Netflix? Are more people discovering music from TV and movies nowadays? I feel confident that algorithmic music consumerism will continue to develop with more analytical data that is received from the listener's devices. Could there also be a resurgence in good old word-of-mouth music discovery as music appreciation develops alongside the robotic feed of music? Will there be a wholehearted response to the technological push that streaming services deliver?
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 When we talk, how does it sound?
Does it feel like a love language or does it feel like a challenge? Each conversation brings its own topic to light through tone of voice, the underlying sentiment or frustrations that are being communicated with dynamic vibrational delivery. Not only do we choose worlds to say to one another but we express how we feel through our tone of voice. Often unaware of the way we might sound to the person we are talking to, until it’s too late. What if we made a conscious effort to deliver our words with a tone of voice that enhanced the conversation instead of sweeping it up in a wave of emotion? What if we ask ourselves what we want to be communicating through the tone of our voices alongside the actual words? Some words carry their own tone, an added complexity to intentional vocalizations. Explosive words, harsh words and expletives blast their way through a conversation and can be damaging while soft and sweet toned words imply a certain tenderness. These words are built for delivering a message regardless of how you say them. Just try and say “ I love fuzzy bunnies” with an angry explosive tone. Do you believe the tone or the words? Does the message work?  Creaksbox by Hidden Orchestra + Animita Designs Creaksbox is an online music manipulator machine using the music soundtrack from CREAKS a new video game by Animita Designs. The maestro of Creaksbox is Hidden Orchestra’s Joe Acheson who played many instruments on the soundtrack. The Creaksbox site describes it as “ a music player for an adaptive soundtrack. There are hundreds and thousands of variables, which creates a ‘living soundtrack’ that feels fresh every time you hear it” Ever since I first entered the world of Machinarium, the award-winning independent adventure puzzle game featuring Josef the adorable robot, I have been enchanted by the use of sound and music in the games. The creative team at Animita Design has brought to life intricate musical convergences in their games where sound is magic, tones are language. In Samorost 3, the depth of this convergence goes even further as I have written about here. CREAKS follows suit, with more music convergences to reveal language and puzzles as well as the soundtrack to support the mystery of the game’s story. The Creaksbox gives you the chance to explore the tonal landscape in unique ways by tweeking with the controls to constantly blend pieces of the soundtrack together. It weaves the tracks and shifts the 6 needle record player head which crawls through the grooves of an animated vinyl record like a creepy robotic spider in true Anamita Design fashion. Flip the progress changer toggle and advance the time clock even more to manipulate the sounds even more to a web of melodies, lots of eerie clarinet reminiscent of Samorost 3 and often, chaotic mixes of electro arpeggios. Open the instrument info. tab for pictures of the featured instruments created by the Creaksbox artist, Jan Chlup.  Strat by choosing a length of time to have it running and tweek the Creaksbox yourself to create a soundtrack and unlock your own mysterious treasure. What stories might the sound evoke for you?
http://creaksbox.amanita-design.net/ |
AuthorMike Caruso Archives
February 2024
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